Ileana LaGrutta September 15, 2014 EDC 102H Academic Autobiography
After twelve years of schooling, high school has definitely been the most influential for me. Sure, elementary and middle school really build the foundation for your schooling experience, however, high school is the final time for you to find yourself, establish goals, and create a substantial work ethic before transforming into an adult and going off to college. More specifically, high school basketball and AP Physics have absolutely shaped me into the person I am today.
Rewind one year and I’m in my senior year of high school. It is fall and my basketball team and I are preparing for the upcoming winter season. Workout after workout after workout takes us through the fall and into mid-November when it is time to begin our season and focus on where we ultimately want to be come early March.
After playing basketball for twelve years I have realized that I’m not the fastest girl on the court and I’m definitely not the tallest girl on the court, but I can confidently say that I am one of the smartest girls on the court. Numerous times I’ve found myself speaking with my coach about my playing time and my role on this team and every time I have heard the same exact response. “La, you’re a great player. You have a deadly outside shot and you do everything perfectly. You utilize the mental aspect game more than anything which helps you in knowing exactly where to be and when. However, sometimes we need faster and more athletic girls to match up and you and I both know that you are not the most athletic girl on our team.” With that being said, I was getting a decent amount of playing time and I was definitely doing my part, but it was beyond frustrating knowing that I wasn’t able to fully tap into my potential because of my lack of speed and agility.
If we fast forward to March, we have reached the Section Semifinals, meaning we have already clinched our division and we are working towards the finals of our league which is where our season ended the year before. It’s the third quarter with about two minutes left and we are not playing like we know how to. Our defense is flat, we aren’t communicating, and we cannot hit a shot even if our life depended on it. All of a sudden my coach screams, “La! Go in for Jackie and make something happen.” I quickly jump off of the bench and go to the table to check in. There’s a dead ball and the ref signals me onto the court. When play resumes we are on defense. Our defense is still subpar when I reach the conclusion that I really have to do something to make a difference or else our season is going to end a lot sooner than we want it to. All of a sudden a shot goes up, all five of us yell, “BOX,” and begin to box out. One of my teammates grabs the rebound and right away I begin to sprint up the floor. I can distinctly hear my coach saying, “Spot up, La, and take your shot.” As my teammate approaches the key I stand on the perimeter of the three point line. She draws my defender in and quickly dishes the ball to me. As I grab the ball I see my defender fly out at me and I realize that I have to get this shot up quickly. The ball is in the air for what feels like an eternity and all of a sudden I see it swish through the net. The crowd erupts and my teammates celebrate as I have just tied the game up. My shot was exactly what we needed in order to snap my team back into reality. After, I made that shot, the tempo of the game changed dramatically. We were no longer playing catch up with the other team, but rather, the fate of the game was in our hands. We went on to winand I can absolutely say, without hesitation, that that was one of the best feelings I have ever felt in my entire life.
Now I did not just tell that story in order to take a stroll down memory lane. I told that story because it was a pivotal point in my life and my outlook on it. When I was playing basketball I had an unbelievable disadvantage. However, what I lacked in height and speed I made up with intelligence and just plain passion. I could have given up after listening to my coach tell me time and time again about how I was never going to be the girl that played 25-30 minutes of the game. Instead, I decided to push on and make a difference with the time that I was provided. When all was said and done, I hit the most important shot of the year thanks to my dedication and perseverance. However, this dedication and perseverance was not reserved solely for the basketball court. Instead, it travels with me throughout my everyday life. It is this tenacity that leads me to my second success story from high school.
I was never a scientist. I didn’t like any of the science courses I took in high school. That is, until physics came along. When I was in physics as a junior, it was something that came fairly easy to me. So easy that I decided to take a leap of faith and continue on in AP Physics my senior year. I know some people probably thought I was crazy for taking an AP course my senior year, much less physics, however I’m always up for the challenge. I had a conversation with my teacher in the beginning of the course and he essentially told me that I was going to struggle this year; that I could probably expect to get 70’s and nothing better. He then continued on to say that if I stuck with him and did not quit that it would all be worth it in the end. I know that what he told me sounds extremely harsh, but I understand that he was just being a realist. After all, I’d much rather have someone be honest than lie and instill a false sense of hope in me.
As the year progressed, I noticed that I did as well. I went from having a 75 the first quarter, to an 80 in the second, then an 85 in the third, and finally an 88 in the fourth. When it was time to prepare for the AP exam I could have easily thrown in the towel. After all, I was accepted to all of the colleges that I applied to and, therefore, was going somewhere beyond high school. However, I did not want to settle for less than my best so I began to study and never really stopped. After doing a countless number of practice exams I came to the harsh realization that I was probably going to get a one out of five on the exam. If I was lucky, maybe I would get a two but I definitely did not want to get my hopes up. So I took the exam and walked out of it with anything but confidence. I was just happy that it was over.
A few months later I went online to search for my grade. As I clicked on the results, I held my breath for a moment. The grade popped up, and I saw that I had got a three. I was beyond happy at my results and later learned that I did a lot better than a good handful of the kids in my class. This was yet another proud moment in my life when I faced a challenge head on and rose above it.
Basketball and AP Physicswere two high school experiences that have made all the difference in my life. They taught me that with hard work, comes great (and sometimes unexpected) rewards. The lessons about perseverance that I learned from these two instances are lessons that I am utilizing here at URI. I understand that nothing here is going to come easy, but I am ready to work my hardest and make that shot that can change the game.
September 15, 2014
EDC 102H
Academic Autobiography
After twelve years of schooling, high school has definitely been the most influential for me. Sure, elementary and middle school really build the foundation for your schooling experience, however, high school is the final time for you to find yourself, establish goals, and create a substantial work ethic before transforming into an adult and going off to college. More specifically, high school basketball and AP Physics have absolutely shaped me into the person I am today.
Rewind one year and I’m in my senior year of high school. It is fall and my basketball team and I are preparing for the upcoming winter season. Workout after workout after workout takes us through the fall and into mid-November when it is time to begin our season and focus on where we ultimately want to be come early March.
After playing basketball for twelve years I have realized that I’m not the fastest girl on the court and I’m definitely not the tallest girl on the court, but I can confidently say that I am one of the smartest girls on the court. Numerous times I’ve found myself speaking with my coach about my playing time and my role on this team and every time I have heard the same exact response. “La, you’re a great player. You have a deadly outside shot and you do everything perfectly. You utilize the mental aspect game more than anything which helps you in knowing exactly where to be and when. However, sometimes we need faster and more athletic girls to match up and you and I both know that you are not the most athletic girl on our team.” With that being said, I was getting a decent amount of playing time and I was definitely doing my part, but it was beyond frustrating knowing that I wasn’t able to fully tap into my potential because of my lack of speed and agility.
If we fast forward to March, we have reached the Section Semifinals, meaning we have already clinched our division and we are working towards the finals of our league which is where our season ended the year before. It’s the third quarter with about two minutes left and we are not playing like we know how to. Our defense is flat, we aren’t communicating, and we cannot hit a shot even if our life depended on it. All of a sudden my coach screams, “La! Go in for Jackie and make something happen.” I quickly jump off of the bench and go to the table to check in. There’s a dead ball and the ref signals me onto the court. When play resumes we are on defense. Our defense is still subpar when I reach the conclusion that I really have to do something to make a difference or else our season is going to end a lot sooner than we want it to. All of a sudden a shot goes up, all five of us yell, “BOX,” and begin to box out. One of my teammates grabs the rebound and right away I begin to sprint up the floor. I can distinctly hear my coach saying, “Spot up, La, and take your shot.” As my teammate approaches the key I stand on the perimeter of the three point line. She draws my defender in and quickly dishes the ball to me. As I grab the ball I see my defender fly out at me and I realize that I have to get this shot up quickly. The ball is in the air for what feels like an eternity and all of a sudden I see it swish through the net. The crowd erupts and my teammates celebrate as I have just tied the game up. My shot was exactly what we needed in order to snap my team back into reality. After, I made that shot, the tempo of the game changed dramatically. We were no longer playing catch up with the other team, but rather, the fate of the game was in our hands. We went on to win and I can absolutely say, without hesitation, that that was one of the best feelings I have ever felt in my entire life.
Now I did not just tell that story in order to take a stroll down memory lane. I told that story because it was a pivotal point in my life and my outlook on it. When I was playing basketball I had an unbelievable disadvantage. However, what I lacked in height and speed I made up with intelligence and just plain passion. I could have given up after listening to my coach tell me time and time again about how I was never going to be the girl that played 25-30 minutes of the game. Instead, I decided to push on and make a difference with the time that I was provided. When all was said and done, I hit the most important shot of the year thanks to my dedication and perseverance. However, this dedication and perseverance was not reserved solely for the basketball court. Instead, it travels with me throughout my everyday life. It is this tenacity that leads me to my second success story from high school.
I was never a scientist. I didn’t like any of the science courses I took in high school. That is, until physics came along. When I was in physics as a junior, it was something that came fairly easy to me. So easy that I decided to take a leap of faith and continue on in AP Physics my senior year. I know some people probably thought I was crazy for taking an AP course my senior year, much less physics, however I’m always up for the challenge. I had a conversation with my teacher in the beginning of the course and he essentially told me that I was going to struggle this year; that I could probably expect to get 70’s and nothing better. He then continued on to say that if I stuck with him and did not quit that it would all be worth it in the end. I know that what he told me sounds extremely harsh, but I understand that he was just being a realist. After all, I’d much rather have someone be honest than lie and instill a false sense of hope in me.
As the year progressed, I noticed that I did as well. I went from having a 75 the first quarter, to an 80 in the second, then an 85 in the third, and finally an 88 in the fourth. When it was time to prepare for the AP exam I could have easily thrown in the towel. After all, I was accepted to all of the colleges that I applied to and, therefore, was going somewhere beyond high school. However, I did not want to settle for less than my best so I began to study and never really stopped. After doing a countless number of practice exams I came to the harsh realization that I was probably going to get a one out of five on the exam. If I was lucky, maybe I would get a two but I definitely did not want to get my hopes up. So I took the exam and walked out of it with anything but confidence. I was just happy that it was over.
A few months later I went online to search for my grade. As I clicked on the results, I held my breath for a moment. The grade popped up, and I saw that I had got a three. I was beyond happy at my results and later learned that I did a lot better than a good handful of the kids in my class. This was yet another proud moment in my life when I faced a challenge head on and rose above it.
Basketball and AP Physics were two high school experiences that have made all the difference in my life. They taught me that with hard work, comes great (and sometimes unexpected) rewards. The lessons about perseverance that I learned from these two instances are lessons that I am utilizing here at URI. I understand that nothing here is going to come easy, but I am ready to work my hardest and make that shot that can change the game.